Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca

This riding is in the southwest corner of Vancouver Island, with Victoria as its southeast boundary and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to its west and south.

Esquimalt, Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin and Sooke are here, as is that part of the district of Saanich west of Douglas Street.

Of the residents counted during the 2006 census, 14 per cent are immigrants and 13 per cent are seniors. Aboriginals make up four per cent of the population. Eighty-seven per cent of residents list English as their mother tongue, two per cent list French, and ten per cent a language other than one of the official languages. Punjabi and German lead in the latter category.

With Victoria right next door, a large number of residents work for the provincial government – 16 per cent of jobs in the riding are provided by the public administration sector. CFB Esquimalt and Royal Roads University are also major employers. The average family income is $78,547 and the unemployment rate is 3.9 per cent.

This riding was created in 1986 and a decade later added one-fifth of the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding.

Population: 120,669 (2006 census; an increase of 8.8% since 2001)

Political History

Five-term incumbent Keith Martin first won office on the Reform ticket in 1993, when he unseated the New Democrat MP, Dave Barrett. New Democrats had dominated here for most of the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2000, Martin knocked off Liberal challenger Alan Thompson by 12,446 votes. Early in 2004, Martin joined the Liberals. In the election that year, he defeated New Democrat Randall Garrison by 2,568 votes. Martin beat Garrison again the 2006 race.

• 1988 - NDP
• 1993, 1997 - REF
• 2000 - CA
• 2004, 2006 - LIB